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Cover: Al Milgrom

The Incredible Hulk #239

Name: The Incredible Hulk #239
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Sep 1979 · Marvel · 0.40 USD

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“All That Glitters...”

★ 1st appearance — Captain Bowman

About this Issue

The Incredible Hulk #239 is the opening chapter of Roger Stern's five-part 'All That Glitters...' arc, the storyline that finally brought resolution to the long-running They Who Wield Power mystery — a shadowy cabal that had been pulling strings across multiple Marvel titles since Marvel Team-Up in the early 1970s. The issue introduces three new characters (Dr. Edwin Maxwell, Captain Thomas Bowman, and Tulak) and sets the Goldbug up as an unwitting instrument of a conspiracy that will expose Tyrannus as the mastermind behind years of behind-the-scenes manipulation. Structurally, it marks one of the more ambitious attempts in late Bronze Age Hulk storytelling to honor dangling cross-title continuity, folding a villain originally introduced as a Luke Cage foe directly into the Hulk's mythology and the El Dorado lore that stretched back to the Avengers.

In "All That Glitters...", the Hulk is lured into powering a mysterious ship by the cunning Goldbug, unaware of the trap set beneath the gleam. With help from an unseen force, the green giant must break free before it's too late. Written by Sal Buscema and Roger Stern, with art by Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito, and a cover by Al Milgrom.

writer, artist Sal Buscema · writer Roger Stern · artist, inker Mike Esposito · colorist Nel Yomtov · letterer Jim Novak · cover Al Milgrom

ComicBooks.com Value

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CGC 9.8 · 69 in census $45

CGC 9.6 · 34 in census $20*

CGC 9.4 · 12 in census $20*

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CGC 9.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 6 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 6 in census $20*

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CGC 6.0 · 1 in census $20*

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FN $6.2 VG $7.3 The Incredible Hulk: Issue 239: September 1979: All That Glitters... $4.8 Vintage Marvel Comics The Incredible Hulk 1979 #239 $15

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History

Roger Stern was serving a dual role on the title at this point — plotting stories while also holding editorial responsibilities — and the creative credits for #239 reflect that unusual arrangement: Stern is listed as plotter, with Sal Buscema credited as scripter as well as penciller, and Mike Esposito as inker, all under editor Al Milgrom. Milgrom, who had joined Marvel as an editor in 1979, oversaw this stretch of the Hulk series. The issue was released on June 19, 1979, with a September 1979 cover date, during the peak years of the live-action CBS Incredible Hulk television series, which had significantly elevated the character's mainstream profile.

Trivia · 8 facts

Title: 'All That Glitters...' (Part 1 of 5); cover-dated September 1979, released June 19, 1979.
Credits: Plot by Roger Stern; script and pencils by Sal Buscema; inks by Mike Esposito; cover by Al Milgrom (a Mount Rushmore scene); edited by Al Milgrom; Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter.
First appearances of Dr. Edwin Maxwell, Captain Thomas Bowman, and Tulak (the El Dorado acolyte who hails the Hulk as a prophesied savior).
Goldbug — originally created by Marv Wolfman and Lee Elias in Power Man #41 (March 1977) — returns as the main antagonist, using a Tinkerer-built Bug-ship to abduct the Hulk from atop Mount Rushmore and drain his gamma energy to power the vessel to El Dorado.
They Who Wield Power (Prince Rey, Keeper of the Flame, and Dez/Lann), the shadowy cabal first introduced across multiple Marvel Team-Up issues, are the true architects behind Goldbug's mission; they remotely sabotage his ship to free the Hulk once he is no longer needed.
The issue deliberately ties together years of cross-title continuity: They Who Wield Power had previously manipulated the Orb (Marvel Team-Up #15), the Lava Men (Marvel Team-Up #26), and the City-Stealers (Marvel Team-Up #28), with Tyrannus (Romulus Augustulus) ultimately revealed as their hidden leader later in the arc.
This issue and the full 'All That Glitters...' arc have been reprinted in Essential Series: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 7, Epic Collection: Incredible Hulk Vol. 9, and Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 15 (ISBN 978-1-3029-3805-5).
Three print variants exist for this issue: Direct Edition, Newsstand Edition, and a Mark Jeweler Advertisement Insert variant.